Collapsible christmas tree stand



March 14, 1950 L. D. SWEARHNGEN 5 COLLAPSIBLE CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Filed April 1, 1948 /Z 5 INVENTOR.

D. Swearinen ATTORNEY Patented Mar. l4, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v 2,500,215 COLLAPSIBLE CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Lemuel D. Swearingen, Detroit, Mich. Application April 1, 1948, Serial No. 18,313

11 Claims.

This invention relates to Christmas tree stands, and particularly stands which are collapsible for compact storage or shipping.

An object of the invention is to pivotally interconnect two bars forming the base of my improved stand, so that such bars may occupy a transverse relation in use, and may have approximate parallelism when the stand is stored, and to provide a latching device by which the bars may be firmly held. in their use position.

Another object is to non-rotatively mount on one of said bars a seating member for a Christmas tree and to pivot on such member a latching device to engage the other bar.

Another object is to mount on one of said bars, an upright to which a Christmas tree may be secured, and to pivot the upright to its supporting bar to be swung down on such bar, when the stand is not in use.

Another object is to provide means on said seating member for securing the upright in raised position.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and ill the accompanying drawing, wherein: of the stand as set lustrated in Fig. l is a perspective view up for use.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the collapsed stand.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view of the base portion of the stand, as set up for use.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the upright of the stand.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary radial sectional view of a connection between the upright and a water cup which forms said seating member.

In these views, the reference characters I and 2 designate respectively upper and lower paired bars forming a base, the mid portions of such bars occupying a crossed relation and being pivotally interconnected by a rivet 3. The bars are held slightly spaced by a disk 4 positioned between the bars by the rivet if, being thus permitted to swing relatively on due friction or wear. Preferably the bars are of channel form, with the flanges of the upper bar upwardly directed and those of the lower bar downwardly directed. Castors 5 are preferably carried by the bar extremities, facilitating shifting of the stand, in use.

' Centrally carried by the bar I, in axial alignment with the rivet 3 is a water cup 6, which is preferably welded to the bar l as indicated at I, the bottom of said cup serving as a seating member for a tree. Exteriorly pivoted on the cup 6 at the periphery of its bottom is a latch element the rivet without un- 8 releasably maintaining a transverse relation of the two bars. Thus said element comprises a pair of spaced lugs 8a adapted to straddle the bar 2 (as appears in Fig. 1), when said element is downwardly swung. about its pivot 9. In a raised position of the element 8, the bars may be swung into approximate parallelism, as per Fig. 2.

Pivoted at ID to the bar I, in proximity to the cup 6, is a channel-forming upright II, which in upright position extends considerably above the cup, such positionbeing maintained by a bolt 12, rigidly carried by the cup and received in an aperture of the upright, and a wingnut I3 on such bolt. Coiled on said bolt and compressed between the cup and upright is a spring l4, serving to hold the upright firmly against the nut l3, in case some clearance is afforded between the upright and cup. As a pivotal support for the upright, it is preferred to employ a plate l5 fixed on the bar i by a bolt 16 and having an end portion fitted into the channel of said bar and an opposed end portion seating on the bar flanges. Secured to the upright within its channel is a pair of spaced V-shaped brackets I1, similarly overhanging the cup 6 to laterally support a tree therein, the upright further carrying a strap 18 which may be wrapped around the tree and secured by a buckle It on an end of the strap. It

,is evident that said strap is further adapted to retain the bars I and 2 in approximate parallelism when the stand is collapsed.

The latch element 8 pivoted on the water cup serves as a simple, strong, and inexpensive provision for positively holding the base bars in their use position. The upright l I with its brackets l1 and strap it very securely maintains an upright position of a tree carried by the stand, and said brackets and straps accommodate themselves to a wide range of varying tree thicknesses. Christmas tree stands as heretofore constructed have largely relied on a set of clamping screws to hold a tree rigidly upright. The strap I5 is much more easily engaged with a tree and can be readily disposed to avoid any low-lying branches, such as must be cut off when screw clamps are employed. Association of the spring M with the bolt I2 and nut l3 makes it feasible to outwardly adjust the upright ll slightly, if necessary to assure vertical mounting of a tree. Ordinarily the upright will be clamped firmly against the water cup, but occasionally a tree will be so bent or otherwise shaped as to require clearance between the upright and cup.

When the stand is collapsed as in Fig. 2, the

space required for its storage and its packaging for shipment is much reduced.

What I claim is:

1. A tree stand comprising an upper and a lower base bar disposed in a centrally crossed relation, means pivotally interconnecting said bars at their crossing, a seating member for a Christmas tree fixed on the upper of said bars above their crossing, and a latch element pivoted on said seating member to engage the lower bar when the two bars are in a substantially transverse relation.

2. A tree stand as set forth in claim 1, said latch element having a pair of spaced projections for straddling the lower of said bars.

3. In a tree stand as set forth in claim 1, a spacer interposed between said bars and held in place by said means pivotally interconnecting the bars, said spacer seating the upper bar on the lower one and maintaining a clearance between the bars.

4. A tr'eestandcomprising an upperand a lower base bar disposed 'in a'centrally crossed relation, means pivot-ally interconnecting said bars at their crossing, "a seating member for a 'Christ- "man tree fixed on the upper of said bars above theircrossing, an upright mounted on the upper bar in proximity to said seating-member, means pivoting said upright to the upper bar affording a downward'swing'ing of the upright to substantial parallelism with the upper bar, and a detachable connection between the upright and seating member for holding the upright in upright position.

5. A tree stand as set forth in claim 4, said seating member being a waterc'up and said detachable connection including an element carried bythe upperport'ion of the water cup.

"6. In a tree stand as set forth in claim 4, a V- shaped member carriedby the upright and overhanging said seating member in the raised position of the upright to position a tree in proximity to the upright.

7. In a tree stand as set forth in claim 4, said base bars being relatively movable about their pivotal interconnectionto establish approximate parallelism of such bars when the stand is collapsed, a flexible element carried by the upright for fastening a tree to the upright.

8. A tree stand comprising a pair of crossed base members, a tree-seating water cup carried by one of said bars substantially at their crossthe ing, an upright pivoted on one of said bars in proximity to said water cu a bolt outwardly projecting from the cup, the upright being apertured to receive said bolt, a nut on the bolt for resisting downward pivotal movement of the upright, and a spring compressed on said bolt between the upright and the cup, and for holding the base bars in approximate parallelism when the stand is collapsed.

9. A tree stand comprising an upper and a lower base bar disposed in a substantially centrally crossed relation, means pivotally interconnecting said bars at their crossing, a seating member for a Christmas tree fixed on the upper of said bars above their crossing, and a latch element mounted on the seating member and detach'ably engageable with the lower bar when the two bars occupy a substantially transverse relation, to maintain such relation.

10. A tree stand as set forth in claim 9, said latch element being mounted for an up and down movement on the seating member, to detach such element from or operatively engage it with the lower bar.

11. A tree stand comprising an upper and a lower base bar disposed "in a crossed relation and having their crossing substantially at their centers, inea'nspivotally interconnecting said bars at their cross-ing, a seating member for a Christmas tree fixed onthe upper of said bars above their crossing, an upright, tree-engaging means on such upright in upwardly spaced relation to the seating member, means for releasably securing upright to the seating member, and means attaching the lower end of the upright to one ofsaid'bars, aifording'the upright'an approximate parallelism with such bar, when the upright is released from the seating member.

LEMUEL D. SWEARINGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 952,655 Wagner Mar. 22, 1910 1,912,054 Wright May 30, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS N umber Country Date 518,237 Germany Feb. 13, 1931 

